Downtown Melbourne

Thursday morning we enjoyed breakfast with our hosts before taking a short tram ride to the central business district of Melbourne. The city has quite an interesting array of architectural styles, yet somehow they all manage to work together. We enjoyed learning more about the city from one of our hosts before he left for another commitment. We toured beautiful St. Paul's Cathedral, and then found a quirky little restaurant for lunch. We were told we needed to try an Aussie Pie for a meal, so we did. They were tasty, and we even liked our salads despite the fact that they had no dressing on them.

We spent the afternoon wandering through the town, and then took a walk along the Yarra River. Despite being a little overcast, it was a nice day to be out and about. We managed to catch the correct tram back to our neighborhood, and even made it to the house without getting lost!

Today we say goodbye to Australia. It has been a wonderful adventure, but we are eager to see what New Zealand holds in store for us.

Trentham and Melbourne

Tuesday morning Jim and I walked into town to have breakfast. Our waitress asked where we were from, and when we said Missouri, she asked where in Missouri. When Jim told her St. Louis, she announced, "I have cousins in St. Louis!" The world is, indeed, small. Later the two Jims were off to look at some projects, so Curtis and I took their adorable Schnoodle Penny for a long walk through the reserve and then around town. I wonder if it ever grows old to see parrots, cockatoos and kangaroos on a daily basis?

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The rest of the day was spent meeting more friends - a landscape designer who lives on 17 acres in a house made from repurposing two metal, portable classrooms. The property is entirely off the grid, which was fascinating to see. Next up was a man from Scotland and his Boston wife who live in a fabulous home on a large acreage. We wrapped up the day by having dinner with the Sinatra's grandson, his partner, and their adorable daughter, who just turned one.

Wednesday three kangaroos blessed us with their presence right in the back yard when we awoke in the morning. We had heard they will come right up near the houses, but this was the first we had seen them in the yard. The sun also decided to make its appearance after a couple gloomy days, so it was a pretty day to drive to Melbourne where we met another couple who are friends of the Sinatra's. They are letting us stay with them for a couple nights, which is so kind of them.

Following lunch, Sinatra's headed off for home, and it was very sad to say goodbye. Our host took us to the Royal Botanic Garden of Victoria, which was lovely. We also saw the Shrine of Remembrance, a war memorial. Then we enjoyed a wonderful home-cooked meal before turning in for the night.

Heading to Melbourne

We have checked out of our apartment and are currently sitting in the Qantas club lounge at the airport in Cairns. We almost didn't get in as the lady at the desk said we had the wrong card for entrance. We explained that our credit card entitles us to entrance at all American Airlines Admirals Clubs as well as the clubs of all airlines in the One World Alliance, of which Qantas is a member. Our card wasn't in her book, so she said she couldn't let us in. We held firm, and she finally relented and said she would make an exception. The Qantas club in Sydney let us right in with no questions asked. We are flying on Qantas, for crying out loud!

It is raining here today, so we picked a good time to leave. The weather will be much cooler in Melbourne as we are traveling south. I hope it will be less humid. Cairns definitely feels very tropical. My final thoughts on this city - again the people are very friendly, many things and activities are free, and the townspeople are very much aware that the tourists are the bread and butter of their community, so they endeavor to ensure you are having a good time. You can have a laid-back urban experience, visit the rainforest or explore the Reef all in the same day. The biggest surprise was that things are nearly as expensive here as they are in Sydney. Let's see what Melbourne brings.